After A Forest Fire, This Couple Went Tiny—And It's Our Dream Mountain Retreat

After a forest fire burnt down their 1,200 square-foot Conifer, CO home in 2012, Kristen Moeller and husband David Cottrell decided to rebuild—on a smaller, but no less luxurious scale. The new, 500 square-foot mountaintop retreat—featured on the TV show "Tiny House Nation"—is rustic, refined, and totally off the grid: The home's electricity comes from two large solar panels. Both Kristen and David work from home, and they squeezed in two miniature, 50-foot offices-slash-bedrooms without sacrificing square footage.

Despite the home's small size, nothing inside feels cramped. The master bedroom, located inside a 15-foot-high sleeping loft, feels breezy and open, thanks in part to its sloped ceiling and reclaimed-wood railing—made from fire-damaged trees felled in their front yard. And for all the space they lost inside, it seems they gained a dozen acres outside. Guests can gather around the brick firepit on the front patio, which opens up onto sweeping Rocky Mountain vistas.

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